I laugh to myself when I think about gruff Noah Archer having these cute little kittens he clearly adores.
A big ole softy, that’s what he is.
Speaking of, he pulls up and climbs out of his truck. He looks damn good in tight jeans and a red-and-black hoodie. And his hair tousled by the wind from the day only adds to his attractiveness.
He grabs one pumpkin out of his truck. One.
And I just stare at him and then look at the haul of pumpkins I brought with me. I shake my head at him with a grin.
He laughs, carrying the pumpkin with him. He surprises the hell out of me when he grabs the collar of my hoodie and pulls me to him, laying a kiss on my lips. “Do we really need all these pumpkins?”
I grin against his mouth and then pull back to nod my head. “Of course. It’s Halloween. The best holiday there is.”
He chuckles and then unlocks his front door, letting me in. He carries one of my pumpkins with his own, and I grab two of the bigger ones I bought. We place them all on his kitchen table.
“I’m more of a Christmas man myself.”
“Is that so?” I ask, loving every insight to this big teddy bear of a man.
He nods, grabbing a carving kit from the pantry in his kitchen. It’s clearly brand-new, still in the package, and I think he bought it for today. I can’t help the big-ass smile on my face at the realization.
“Yup. Hot cocoa. Fire in the fireplace. Cookies. Presents. What’s not to love?”
I smile before spreading out the pumpkin-covered tablecloth he must have bought with the kit, then placing the pumpkins on top of it. We get to work carving them. His is very classic, while mine is downright ridiculous, but it’s a blast.
Everything with Noah is more fun.
Who knew?
When we’re finished, we place the pumpkins on his front porch steps with battery-operated candles inside them, so they light up just as the sun is about to go down in the sky.
I arrange the smaller pumpkins around the porch, and we stand back in the drive, admiring our hard work. “Looks good. I don’t remember the last time I decorated for Halloween.”
I mock-gasp. “That is tragic.” And he laughs, punching me in the shoulder before we go inside to make a quick pasta dinner. We don’t discuss how domestic this is, but I don’t think we need to.
After dinner, we curl up on the couch, and I find another old horror movie to play. But it’s not long before we’re ignoring the movie altogether, and our lips and hands are all over each other.
When we can barely take the teasing anymore, he slides into my body as I hold onto the couch while he takes me from behind. I feel full in so many ways. Complete and so damn happy. I’m also glad he’s thought to stash lube in the living room because we often don’t make it to the bedroom before our passion becomes too much.
I stroke my cock until I’m groaning with relief, and I feel him spraying my insides with his cum, crying out and gripping my hips so hard I know they’ll leave a sexy-as-hell bruise.
We clean up in the shower, him dropping to his knees and taking care of my dick when it responds to being near him naked. His body doesn’t rally as fast as mine, but it doesn’t stop him from moaning in pleasure as he swallows my cum and licks me clean before we both wash again and rinse off.
We dress in sweats and t-shirts and head to bed with his big arms wrapped around me.
Not being able to be a couple in public today was worth it for this moment right here. Listening to his soft breathing as he holds me tight.
Nothing else in the world matters right now.
TWENTY-EIGHT
NOAH
I hope this isn’t stupid.
It’s been so damn long since I’ve been in a relationship, but I know I want to do whatever I can, whenever I can, to make Chance smile.
So hopefully, this will do that, even if I feel slightly ridiculous.
I walk into my office and find Chance going over game footage to prepare for Friday. He looks up at me with those sparkling eyes and a bright smile. “Morning.”
He was in my bed only hours ago, but I’ve missed him since that time. I want to lean in and kiss him, but it’s too risky at school, so instead I say, “Good morning.” Then I hand him the white box I’m holding.
He takes it, looking slightly suspicious as he lifts the lid. Then he barks out a loud laugh. “No. Way.”
“Happy Halloween.” I know it’s his favorite holiday, so I stopped by the local bakery this morning to pick up a half dozen of their special holiday donuts.
They’re decorated for Halloween. One looks like an eyeball. One is a decorated jack-o-lantern. Another a spiderweb. They went all-out.
“This is fucking awesome,” he says excitedly, and for a moment, I think he’s going to stand up and kiss me. And I want that badly.
I don’t want to worry about kissing my boyfriend.
Goddammit, when will this end?
“Thank you, Noah.” His voice pulls me from the melancholy he must have realized I was falling into. “It means the world to me.”
“They’re just donuts, I say, but I’m smiling again.
“Halloween-themed donuts.” His eyes sparkle, and I love that.
“Well, it is your favorite holiday.”
“Yes. We still on for tonight?” he asks, and I’m about to answer him when I hear footsteps outside the door.
“Oh, you two have plans tonight?” I look over to see Anthony standing at the door, his eyes falling on the box in Chance’s lap. “Festive.”
“Uh, yeah . . .” Chance holds the box up in offering. “You want one, sir?”
Anthony studies the donuts and takes one, looking almost childlike in his delight. “Don’t mind if I do.” He takes the chair next to Chance. “So, you boys have plans tonight then?”
I stiffen because it shouldn’t feel this way, but it seems like a trap. But Chance thrives at this kind of stuff. “We do. Can you believe Noah here hasn’t seen the original Halloween movie?”
Anthony chuckles. “I can’t. It’s a classic.”
Chance nods in agreement. “It is. So we have to fix that.”
I’m still holding my breath, waiting for the other shoe to drop, but Anthony isn’t acting weird at all. Neither is Chance.
It’s only me who’s frozen in my spot.
“It’s so good to see you two getting along,” Anthony says, munching on the donut. “I knew it would work out.”
“You did?” I finally ask, surprised because I wasn’t happy when he told me about my new assistant coach.
“I did. You’re a damn good coach, Noah. And so is Chance. I knew this would be the perfect match.”
He stands from his seat, finishing off his donut. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity,” Chance says earnestly.
“You earned it, son,” Anthony says with a smile and then a wave in my direction before leaving my office.
I feel a little uneasy, but it’s clear Anthony is fond of Chase, which makes me feel a little bit better.
We eat donuts and go over game tape after that. But the entire time, I can’t stop staring at his damn lips and craving a taste of him.
“I’ve never seen the original Halloween, huh?” I ask as we finish up with plans for the game, and he laughs.